


Obama Rules Out Airstrikes in Iraq for Now

Updated 7:47 am ET on June 18

President Obama has for now ruled out airstrikes to stop Iraq’s rampaging Islamist rebels and may not order any in the future either, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The president instead will focus on providing intelligence to the Iraqis, working to solve the country’s internal divisions, and rounding up support from regional allies.

Nevertheless, special forces may be dispatched to help with intelligence and assist Iraqis on the battlefield.

From the piece:

The president wants to avoid airstrikes for now in part because U.S. military officials lack sufficient information to hit targets that would shift momentum on the battlefield. Officials say their approach also would help address underlying causes of the Sunni uprising and the collapse of Iraq’s military forces.

“What the president is focused on is a comprehensive strategy, not just a quick military response,” a senior administration official said. “While there may potentially be a military component to it, it’s a much broader effort.”

Mr. Obama ultimately may decide not to order air attacks, senior U.S. officials said, bucking what for days appeared to be the leading U.S. option to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, the terror group that has seized a large swath of Iraq’s north and west. U.S. strikes are still actively under discussion, but the officials cautioned Tuesday that they don’t expect Mr. Obama to put military action back on the table quickly, and said he may announce steps in a broader U.S. response over time.

Obama will brief Republican and Democratic leaders at the White House Wednesday.

UPDATE: The New York Times is reporting that Obama is in fact considering targeted, limited airstrikes, possibly using drones. So go figure.

20 thoughts on “Obama Rules Out Airstrikes in Iraq for Now”

  1. No air strikes for now. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not. Perhaps Thursday, then again maybe not. This is what a White House in total meltdown sounds like.

  2. So now it’s the Obama Putz Foreign Policy; a mishmash of indecision leading to no particular or concerted efforts. Wonderful.

    He won’t authorize airstrikes because they wouldn’t know who or what to bomb, and the bad guys have modern anti-aircraft firepower that we placed in the country that could down all of our planes. Wonderful.

    He might send some people to help the government forces stand and fight, but then again we’d have to chase them down, drag them back to their posts and stand there with them. Wonderful.

    Maybe I have this all wrong; it could be the Obama Chinese Menu Foreign Polciy. He could pick this action from list A, this other from B, and another from D; sort of a cover all possible scenerios without actually doing something useful.

  3. So pretty much he thinks he can “sweet talk” his way through this. Hasn’t worked yet don’t know why he thinks it will work now, but what the heck. The man lives in what he perceives to be the glory of the Cairo speech.

  4. If he is going to waffle through this then the 200 “military personnel” we are sending might become sitting ducks. He’s an idiot with no regard for the military.

  5. Little Barry is chasing his tail…counting the daze when he can drink coconut juice on a beach somewhere. So proud of his Country, no?

  6. Obama “will brief” Rep and Dem leaders…?!

    -You mean Obama will/maybe walk into the room and give a speech-talk down to Rep & Dem leaders without taking questions.

  7. Well here’s a novel idea. I would imagine that all those Islamists surrounding Iraq’s largest oil refinery are not there for the guided tour and tea at 2. Hit em when they’re exposed out in the open desert and keep hitting them. It’s not a long term fix but it could at least help stave off $5.00 a gallon gas back here again thanks to his stupidity these past few years.

    1. Just imagine how different the gas situation might have been, had Barry ever had the sense to allow the Keystone pipeline to go ahead. The West MUST end its dependence on oil from the Middle East. It’s obvious the entire region has descended into chaos.

  8. “The president instead will focus on providing intelligence to the Iraqis”

    Quick question: How can anybody as dumb as Dictator “Bub” Obama and his so-called “expert” national security team provide any sort of intelligence to anybody at this point given the absolute chaos and mayhem they have created around the world with their bone headed policies?

    1. Ahh, Junius, you have posed the great riddle of the century. We must seek out the ancient wise ones to find the answer to your question. ;+}

  9. The ISIS militants are Sunnis. Guess what the dominant Islamic sect is in Indonesia, where Obama spent many of his formative years? Yup, that’s right – Sunnis. I know I’m fueling the conspiracy theories, but, at some point, you just have to decide that there is to much “coincidence” to make sense, and look for another answer. Obama’s refusal to even send air strikes on ISIS was just the tipping point for me, so I thought I would look into it.

    1. Not to worry about conspiracy theories, I’ve resisted the those for a long time. But dammit, the coincidences are far too many.

  10. How can out “long term” idea here involve providing intelligence in these people’s own country when we don’t have enough to bomb a bunch of trucks on a road? Which is it? I still think bombing is a big foot inside…and it gives me the heebs. But whatever they do, they better do it.

Comments are closed.